Extra time for homeless shelter

A Peterborough day centre for the homeless that faced closure has
secured a temporary reprieve.

The St. Theresa’s centre, which serves more than 700 homeless
people, was to close in the autumn after Peterborough Council
rejected an appeal for £50,000 to help keep it open.

But directors of the centre, which opened in 1991, say it can
continue running for at least six months after they secured
contracts from drug intervention agencies.

Sue Mitchell, chair of the centre’s board of directors, said part
of the problem was ensuring the council understood the value
offered by day care centres, but she was optimistic about obtaining
local government funding in the future.

Graham Murphy, the council’s lead on adult social care, said it was
“actively working” on ways to ensure continued support for the
homeless.

He said simply providing more money was not the solution, but did
not rule this out if there was a review of the centre’s services
and location.